Are you really getting proper instruction

A lot of parents think because a guy played pro ball he knows how to teach the game. It's not the case. A former pro knows how to teach the game because he's learned how to teach. I've seen some former pros overlook flaws. They're stealing money from the parents of little kids lacking athletic ability.

We have wondered the same thing. I've been nosey a few times. Once, I knew a young man was getting lessons, but he just was not very good during play. I inquired about the coach, just to avoid the fellow.

We have paid only occassionally for lessons, and they were what we termed "brush up". Unfortunately for us, the best coaching was from a young man who is now a D1 coach out of state! My husband was in attendance for all 3 lessons and has been able to watch mechanics to keep son consistant. To tell the truth, son would be thrilled to have "brush ups" in the off season. They were great for his confidence, and in our case were obviously productive. We don't want to get in some long term contract only to feel we are being taken to the cleaners.

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They're stealing money from the parents of little kids lacking athletic ability.

RJM

I work camps and at a baseball facility. Let me tell you nobody snatches the kids off the streets and makes them take lessons or attend a camp. I will be honest I get more enjoyment working with a kid who "lacks athletic ability" than somebody who thinks they are Gods gift to the game.

working with a kid who swings and misses 50 times who starts to make some contact is great. the look on their face is about doing something they could not do before.

Will ... I'm talking about kids with very little athletic ability. I'm talking about basic drills a dad could learn off a video and do with his son himself rather than pump hundreds (turns into thousands) of dollars into lessons.

When I coached LL, one of my players took $2,000 worth of catching lessons from one season to the next. He showed up all gung ho to catch. I feel the facility stoled the dad's money by not teaching him how to catch a ball first.

The first LL practice, a pitcher throwing upper 60's hit him square in the facemask with the first pitch and rung his bell. Later in the season when the dad harassed me into catching his son in a game, a pitcher throwing lower 60's hit him in the wrist with a pitch and broke it. Imagine what would have happened if he tried to catch the kid who threw mid 70's. The dad had $2,000 stolen from him by the facility. They should have told him his son wasn't ready to take catching lessons.

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Later in the season when the dad harassed me into catching his son in a game,

Maybe the dad is the problem. Maybe the people at the facility did try to persuade him.

It is not uncommon for instructors to give lessons to kids who are not going anywhere in BB. Hvae little or no talent but that is not all the instructors and ot necessrily the instructors fault. I do have a problem with them falsely telling them they are better than they are.
We had a guy who was taking lessons from an ex pro and the ex pro was feeding him lines that had him taking extra lessons. He was cut from our AAA team and one year he finally made the team. Not that he improved a lot but the registration was way down. He was given opportunities but just had a very limited akill set. He finally figured it out and quit playing BB.
I see guys who take hours and hours of instruction year after year. I have always belived that the basics of pitching and hitting can be taught in a few hours by a knowledgeable instructor. After that it is Brush Up.
I got permission to tape a 3-4 hour instruction by the former head pitching scout of the Blue Jays. I still have that and it was a 1 hour at a time group session for 4 days. Once you have the basics it is a matter of game play and brush up. Keeping an eye on mechanics. I used game video to keep things going well. I saw lots of coaches who didn't correct or work with players to make the adjustments needed. My son's lessons cost $25.00 an hour for a total of $100.
The fielding instructio was taught at a very young age by the local AAA organization and no cost. They even brought in some pro instructors who did a great job on the basics.